Pittsburgh Arts, Regional Theatre, New Work, Producing, Copyright, Labor Unions,
New Products, Coping Skills, J-O-Bs...
Theatre industry news, University & School of Drama Announcements, plus occasional course support for
Carnegie Mellon School of Drama Faculty, Staff, Students, and Alumni.
CMU School of Drama
Monday, February 26, 2018
DEAR EVAN HANSEN Set Designer David Korins Reveals Secrets From the Set
www.broadwayworld.com: David Korins, the award-winning production designer behind shows like Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen and Grease! Live, shared a set secret from Dear Evan Hansen today on his Instagram page. Ever wonder what Evan keeps in his headboard? Now you can find out!
Wow, I have to say, this was kind of a disappointing article. I guess I was expecting some kind of design insight into the designer's process, but instead the article showcased a rather niche little detail posted by the designer on his instagram page. Personally, I feel that if you have to post something on instagram for it to be noticed by people it doesn't have a lot of inherent theatrical effect or meaning. In terms of the actual body of the article, It started with a brief introduction to the post, then basically went into a plug for Dear Evan Hansen listing the designers and director, e.t.c., e.t.c. I wonder if the show budget went towards buying secretly hidden Xbox remotes that no one in the audience will see, bet that went over well- LOL! Anyways, I'm sure the designer of Dear Evan Hansen did a great job overall and had a lot of insights I could have learned about, that is, if they were actually in the article.
David Korins in one of the most prominent scenic designers in todays theatrical world, he has designed sets that are timeless and extravagant (Hamilton) and shows that are relatively intimate (Dear Evan Hansen). Especially in a show like Dear Evan Hansen, details count and that's exactly what's being shown in what he designed Evan's bed stand and bed to look like. By dong this, he is dictating part of the overall character of Evan himself. What people keep by their bedside or tucked behind their pillow says a lot of about whats important to a person, what they see as worth, what sleeps right next to them. In the same way that in Shakespeare, kings often times sleep with their crowns and hands reach, Evan treasures his escapes, in this case an escape in video games. I don't think that Korins is meaningless in this slight change, because although the audience doesn't exactly see this, the placement of these random props has the ability to inform the actors ability to provide more depth to their character and really immerse themselves into the world of the character. Not every thing is for show, this one is for the audience, its placed to create nuance.
I’ve been following David Korins’ Instagram page for quite a while, and I have really enjoyed seeing his designs up close, and in a way that is curated by his eye. I feel like it’s a way to pay respect to his designs in a way because I get to see his creation framed exactly how he wants, especially since a lot of the way a scenic designer’s work is viewed is from far away, and from the way the director has framed the show. I was slightly disappointed because I hoped to hear more about his designs and the decisions he made during the design process, but I guess this article kind of shows the amount of detail that can go into a show that has a budget akin to Dear Evan Hansen. To be quite honest, if you’re not on a Broadway level, you’re probably not allocating money for Xbox remotes, but it’s an example of the level of detail with which a scenic designer imagines a world.
Sorry not sorry but I am not a fan of his designs. Overall he is fine. His set for hamiltion is pretty good but his set for Dear Evan Hansen is not that great. The show does not call for something crazy but there is nothing special about this one. Also I saw other shows set design in his. Another thing I am not a fan of his is Instagram. While sometimes he posts cool pictures about the process of his set, to me it seems like hes bragging. He always is in show mode, making his postings all about him and not the work itself. and he has such a huge company hes assistants probably do most of the work. While I do understand that he is important right now in theatre I am not a fan of his work. However, he is still a very good person to have as a contact and I do look forward to seeing his next shows design.
Well this was a lackluster article. I always think when I see tittle like this that its going to be an in-depth view of what went on in the show related to the topic. I felt like this was a very deceptive title meant to draw you in. Having never seen Dear Evan Hanson, I had no connection to the show to even be curios into what was hidden behind the bed on the set. It would have been a much more interesting articles the set designer had talk about the set at any length, or even if they talked about why the game controller was hidden there. At least that would have given me some insight into the world of the show. Im not sure if this article was useful to anyone other than show super fans. Click bate is awful and we shouldn’t promote it. The End.
This was one of the stranger articles I have seen on the green page. It was essentially an article that just has an Instagram. There were additional paragraphs, but they were about the show, not the secret headboard. Now on the other side, there really isn't much to say about hiding props in a set piece, it's common practice, but I guess its a cool thing to know if you're a layman. Korins has 109K Instagram followers and they can't all be in the know, so I am assuming some of them were really impressed by the placing of the props. I also think, in this circumstance, it doesn't even seem as though this is a hiding spot and not just a shelf on a headboard. I am sure there beds that have shelves for headboards and the shelves probably are quite useful, but when you lean up against it, I be the pillow goes back into a a shelf and isn't too helpful.
6 comments:
Wow, I have to say, this was kind of a disappointing article. I guess I was expecting some kind of design insight into the designer's process, but instead the article showcased a rather niche little detail posted by the designer on his instagram page. Personally, I feel that if you have to post something on instagram for it to be noticed by people it doesn't have a lot of inherent theatrical effect or meaning. In terms of the actual body of the article, It started with a brief introduction to the post, then basically went into a plug for Dear Evan Hansen listing the designers and director, e.t.c., e.t.c. I wonder if the show budget went towards buying secretly hidden Xbox remotes that no one in the audience will see, bet that went over well- LOL! Anyways, I'm sure the designer of Dear Evan Hansen did a great job overall and had a lot of insights I could have learned about, that is, if they were actually in the article.
David Korins in one of the most prominent scenic designers in todays theatrical world, he has designed sets that are timeless and extravagant (Hamilton) and shows that are relatively intimate (Dear Evan Hansen). Especially in a show like Dear Evan Hansen, details count and that's exactly what's being shown in what he designed Evan's bed stand and bed to look like. By dong this, he is dictating part of the overall character of Evan himself. What people keep by their bedside or tucked behind their pillow says a lot of about whats important to a person, what they see as worth, what sleeps right next to them. In the same way that in Shakespeare, kings often times sleep with their crowns and hands reach, Evan treasures his escapes, in this case an escape in video games. I don't think that Korins is meaningless in this slight change, because although the audience doesn't exactly see this, the placement of these random props has the ability to inform the actors ability to provide more depth to their character and really immerse themselves into the world of the character. Not every thing is for show, this one is for the audience, its placed to create nuance.
I’ve been following David Korins’ Instagram page for quite a while, and I have really enjoyed seeing his designs up close, and in a way that is curated by his eye. I feel like it’s a way to pay respect to his designs in a way because I get to see his creation framed exactly how he wants, especially since a lot of the way a scenic designer’s work is viewed is from far away, and from the way the director has framed the show. I was slightly disappointed because I hoped to hear more about his designs and the decisions he made during the design process, but I guess this article kind of shows the amount of detail that can go into a show that has a budget akin to Dear Evan Hansen. To be quite honest, if you’re not on a Broadway level, you’re probably not allocating money for Xbox remotes, but it’s an example of the level of detail with which a scenic designer imagines a world.
Sorry not sorry but I am not a fan of his designs. Overall he is fine. His set for hamiltion is pretty good but his set for Dear Evan Hansen is not that great. The show does not call for something crazy but there is nothing special about this one. Also I saw other shows set design in his. Another thing I am not a fan of his is Instagram. While sometimes he posts cool pictures about the process of his set, to me it seems like hes bragging. He always is in show mode, making his postings all about him and not the work itself. and he has such a huge company hes assistants probably do most of the work. While I do understand that he is important right now in theatre I am not a fan of his work. However, he is still a very good person to have as a contact and I do look forward to seeing his next shows design.
Well this was a lackluster article. I always think when I see tittle like this that its going to be an in-depth view of what went on in the show related to the topic. I felt like this was a very deceptive title meant to draw you in. Having never seen Dear Evan Hanson, I had no connection to the show to even be curios into what was hidden behind the bed on the set. It would have been a much more interesting articles the set designer had talk about the set at any length, or even if they talked about why the game controller was hidden there. At least that would have given me some insight into the world of the show. Im not sure if this article was useful to anyone other than show super fans. Click bate is awful and we shouldn’t promote it. The End.
This was one of the stranger articles I have seen on the green page. It was essentially an article that just has an Instagram. There were additional paragraphs, but they were about the show, not the secret headboard. Now on the other side, there really isn't much to say about hiding props in a set piece, it's common practice, but I guess its a cool thing to know if you're a layman. Korins has 109K Instagram followers and they can't all be in the know, so I am assuming some of them were really impressed by the placing of the props. I also think, in this circumstance, it doesn't even seem as though this is a hiding spot and not just a shelf on a headboard. I am sure there beds that have shelves for headboards and the shelves probably are quite useful, but when you lean up against it, I be the pillow goes back into a a shelf and isn't too helpful.
Post a Comment